Rajgir (Bihar)

In a thrilling match, the Indian women defeated China 1-0 to lift the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy at Rajgir, Bihar. India defended the title to prove they are on top of Asia.

The final match was a close contest and for the first half, it was so before the Indians, like in every game, shifted gears in the third quarter and took control. e China played so well not allowing India to score a goal.

It was Deepika - who topped the tables with 11 goals through the tournament and was named Player of the Tournament -- who scored the lone goal of the match for India.

Indian girls started cautiouly, aware that the Chinese would come hard, come fast and create chances early on. For the first few minutes, India had to fight hard to survive the Chinese onslaught before slowly settling down, and getting better at ball control.

Khel India posted the video of the final moments of the game on X:

INDIA ARE ASIAN CHAMPIONS 2024 🏆🇮🇳

India defeated Paris Olympic Silver Medalist China 1-0 in an Final and remains unbeaten throughout the tournament with a dominating performance.

WELL DONE GIRLS, INDIA IS SO PROUD 👏pic.twitter.com/HiGKEbmo8S

— The Khel India (@TheKhelIndia) November 20, 2024

A penalty corner for China in the 18th minute saa Lalremsiami adjudged player of the match -- rush out quickly before Bichu Devi went full stretch to clear the rebound with her stick.

India’s constant push resulted in four quick penalty corners in the 20th minute but India could not covert PCs into goals due to a mix of off-target shots, ineffective variations and some good saves by the Chinese goalkeeper.

China managed a 2nd PC three minutes later but to no avail. By this time, the Indians were slowly growing in the game and within seconds of resumption in the 3rd quarter, India earned its 5th PC

The injection was not stopped cleanly but the ball was kept in play, dragged in and then Deepika unleashed a controlled reverse hit that the Chinese defence and goalkeeper had no answer to.

The Indian attack was impressive even when it did not result in a goal. Sangita Kumari waS a delight with her nippy runs and amazing ball control, repeatedly entering the Chinese circle.

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Captain Salima Tete’s speed was unmatched and Vaishnavi Phalke had a busy day on the flanks. And Sunelita Toppo was consistently brilliant in everything she did, forward and at the back. Even with a wasted penalty stroke – Ting Li had no trouble saving Deepika’s feeble push after the latter had earned it, dodging past three defenders all alone – India stayed on course to victory.